Lamp holder for elongated fluorescent lamps



March 20, R. W. HAVEN LAMP HOLDER FOR ELONGATED FLUORESCENT LAMPS Filed Feb. 28, 1946 v l a w 9 5 AM .0

INVENTOR .73 ager 31$ jiaven w DY ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 20, 1 951 LAMP HOLDER FOR ELONGATED FLUORES- CENT LAMPS Roger W. Haven, Winchester, Mass, assignor to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., Salem, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 28, 1946, Serial No. 650,970

This invention relates to lampholders and more particularly to Iampholders for electric discharge lamps of the tubular type.

An object of this invention is lampholder which will permit a quick and easy insertion of a lamp therein.

Another object is to provide a lampholder which will be cheap in cost yet sturdy enough in construction to be capable of withstanding the stresses to which it is subjected when the lamp is inserted and withdrawn.

Further objects, advantages, and features will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the lampholder of my invention.

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the lampholder with the cover plate and one or the elongated contact fingers removed.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the lampholder and a fragmentary View of a discharge lamp in position in the lampholder.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through the center of the lampholder along its longitudinal axis with the elongated main reinforcing member and. the elongated contact finger removed.

1 Claim. (Cl. 173'-328)' to provide a 2 lamp pins, said opening defining a substantially triangular recess with a truncated apex in the body member, with the exception that two of the sides of the defined recess are curved in contour. The lampholder of my invention embodies the additional idea of connecting to the body member a stud or pin which is caused to project into the central portion of the afore-mentioned opening or recess in the face of the body member. This stud or pin is substantially triangular in contour with the sides thereof curved slightly and the three corners rounded sharply. The base of the triangular stud or pin and the base of the recess in the body member of the lampholder are spaced from each other and form a channel through which the lamp pins may pass.

The lampholder I of my invention comprises a hollow bod member 2 having an opening 3 in its front face, said opening defining a substantially Considerable difliculty has been experienced in v attempting to develop a satisfactory lampholder for fluorescent lamps. A great portion of, this difliculty can be traced ultimately to the fact that when a person rotates the lamp to disengage the pins thereof from their operating position to permit the lamp to be removed from its holders, he is not able to see the lamp pins. This inability to see the pins prevents the person from making sure that he is rotating the lamp properly. If the lamp has not been rotated to the proper position for withdrawal from its holders, and an attempt is made to remove it considerable stress is set up in the holders, and, many times they break or are weakened considerably.

Many lampholders have been designed for fluorescent lamps, some with the object of pro viding a holder which will prevent or minimize the possibility of damage thereto due to the above-mentioned conditions. However, I have found that, even with these holders, the problem has not been completely or adequately solved. I have, therefore, developed a lampholder which has proven to be highly satisfactory and successful in solving this problem.

The lampholder of my invention embodies the idea of providing a body member with an opening in its front face for the reception therein of triangular recess with a truncated apex 4, the sides 5 adjacentthereto being curved and the base 6 being straight. 'The hollow body member 2 is provided with an elongated reinforcing member I which is disposed in the center thereof along its longitudinal axis. The top of th member 1 is provided with a substantially triangular stud 8 which projects into the center of the opening 3 in the front face of the body member 2. The sides 9 of the stud 8 are slightly curved, the corners l0 thereof are curved sharply and the base i l of the stud is straight.

A pair of elongated contact fingers l2 are disposed within the body member 2 (Figures 1 and 2). When a lamp l3 (Figure 3) is inserted in the lampholder I, the contact pins l4, projecting from the ends of the lamp, extend through the opening 3 in the face of the body member 2 and establish a firm positive contact with the fingers l2, intermediate one end thereof. Each contact finger I2 is provided with a screw l5, intermediate the other end thereof, to which a source of electric power may be connected. Each contact finger I2 is characterized by a notch I6 to provide a suitable seat for a contact pin lion a lamp I3 when the lamp is positioned in the lampholder. Each contact finger i2 is further provided with a slot therein which, when the contact finger is positioned in the body member 2, is enalso aids in the firm, positive seating of the contact fingers in the body member. When a base plate (not shown) is attached to the back of the body member by means of screws, rivets or the like which may be driven into the holes IS in the reinforcing member 1 (Figure 2) to cover the rear of the body member 2, a firm, positive contact is established by the base plate with the raised portions 18.

The contact fingers l2 also possess a locking feature which corrects a highly undesirable condition which has existed in fluorescent lamp installations. Fluorescent lighting has been used extensively in many industrial establishments. Quite frequently, in installations of this type, the lamps and the fixtures in which the are installed are subjected to considerable shock due to vibrations set up by operating machinery.

Many times this continuous vibration jars the lamp pins from their sockets and the lamp falls out of the fixture. The lampholder of my invention has been designed to eliminate this hazardous condition.

The contact fingers 12 are seated in the hollow body member 2 with the upper portion of each finger exposed by the opening 3. That portion of each contact finger l2 which extends above the notch 56 is disposed with respect to the sides 9 of the stud 8 so that at one point the distance between a contact finger i2 and the adjacent side 9 of the stud i8 is less than the diameter of the pins projecting from the ends of a lamp. Thus if a lamp pin were jarred from its normal position within a notch E6 the lamp could not fall out of the socket because a, definite positive force would have to be exerted on the lamp to spring the contact finger I2 to permit the pin to pass this constriction.

The sides 29 of the body member are provided with elongated reinforcing strips 2i to aid in stiffening and strengthening the body member. To these strips 2i webs 22 are connected. Excessive movement laterally of the contact fingers l2, when normally disposed within the body member 2, is prevented by the webs 22 which engage one side of the fingers and the lower portion of the elongated reinforcing member I which is provided with an abutment 23 which engages the other side of the fingers (see Figure 2).

The lampholder i is provided with a base 25 r which is in turn provided with a centrally disposed seat 25 for the disposition therein of means for mounting the lampholder, and two apertures 25, one on each side of the seat 25, through which wires may be inserted to establish an electrical connection from a power source to the screws I on the contact fingers i2 (Figures 1 and 2).

An additional strengthening and reinforcing feature of the lampholder is embodied in the arch 21 which extends across the top of the body member Z.

The top of the body member is also provided with a truncated substantially V-shaped opening 28 which facilitates the guidance of the lamp pins i4 into and out of the recess 3 in the face of the body member 2. The truncations of the substantially V-shaped opening- 28 and the substantially triangular recess 3 are substantially coextensive.

When it is desired to insert a lamp into the holder of my invention, the pins projecting from the ends of the lamp are brought into vertical alignment with the opening 28 and guided therethrough into the recess 3. The sharply tapered corners 9 of the stud 8 will direct the lead pin to the right or to the left of the stud into one of the channels 29 defined by the curved sides 9 of the stud 8 and the curved sides 5 of the recess 3. When the lead pin of the lamp engages the notch H5 in a contact finger I2, the other pin of the lamp is disposed at the top of the recess 3. The lamp is then rotated to cause the other pin to pass through the other channel 29 and into the notch H5 in the other contact finger l2, thus securely seating the lamp within the lampholder and establishing a positive contact with the elongated contact fingers 12.

When it is desired to remove a lamp from the holder of my invention, the lamp is rotated sufficiently to disengage one of its pins M from its normal operating position in a notch 16 in a contact finger l2 and cause it to move through one of the channels 29 to a position substantially at the truncated apex of the recess 3. The lamp may then be withdrawn from its holder through the truncated substantially V-shaped opening 28, the other pin M of the lamptraveling up through the other channel 29 and through the opening 28. a

If the lamp is accidentally rotated too much during the first step in removal so as to cause the lead pin of the lamp to travel up through one channel 29, past the truncated apex of the recess 3 and down into the other channel 29, no damage can be wrought to the lamp holder because as soon as the lead pin starts to move into the second channel 29 the other pin will start to move through a channel 393 defined by the base of the stud 8 and the base of the recess 3. When this occurs, rotation may be continued until the other pin travels through channels 353 and 29 and the lamp withdrawn or the lam may be rotated in the reverse direction until the original lead pin is brought back to the truncated apex of the recess S and the lamp may then be withdrawn in the manner described above.

The ease with which a lamp may be inserted or withdrawn and the structural features which make it practically fool-proof insofar as the pos sibility of damage thereto as a result of improper insertions or withdrawals is concerned, make the socket of my invention an extremely practical and desirable product.

The curved sides 5 of the recess 3 and the slightly curved sides 9 of the stud 8 form arcuate channels 25 which provide especially convenient paths for the passage of the contact pins M on a lamp I3. The possibility of any bindingdue-to improper mam'pulation of the lamp while it is being inserted or withdrawn from the holder is substantially reduced by the sharply rounded corners in of the stud 8.

The advantages of the holder of my invention- A holder for an electric discharge device hav ing two contact pins at one end thereof, said holder comprising: a body member of insulating material having a fiat surface with an opening therein substantially triangular in contour with at least two of its sides curved and the apex angle truncated, and a truncated, substantially V- shaped opening in said body member above said first-mentioned opening, the truncations of the two openings being coextensive; a stud of m sulatingmaterial connected to the body member and projecting into the central portion of the first-mentioned opening, said stud being substantially triangular in contour with at least two of its sides curved and the corners rounded, the sides of said stud and the walls of said threesided opening defining three channels through which the contact pins of said electric discharge 1 device may travel; and two electrical contact members disposed within said body member, a

portion of each contact member being exposed by the first-mentioned opening and adapted to be engaged by contact pins on an electric discharge device when said device is inserted in the holder.

' ROGER W. HAVEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number Name Date 2,224,829 McCarthy Dec. 10, 1940 2,259,096 Alden Oct. 14, 1941 2,304,108 McCarthy Dec. 8, 1942 2,338,970 Rosenthal Jan. 11, 1944 2,401,610 Burns June 4, 1946 2,457,780 Levenson Dec. 28, 1948 

